Sign Up for Our Next BCLI Info Session!
Applications for our next Boards & Commissions Leadership Institute cohort are open through Jan. 23, 2026. Register for our info session on Thursday, Jan. 8, to learn all about the program!
Author: Jamie Bernard
Posts by Jamie Bernard
North Star Year in Review
See what Nexus’ North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship (NSBCF) was up to in 2025! Cohort 8 Graduation In May, we graduated 23 fellows from 10 cooperative groups, celebrating their achievements and shared leadership. Their showcase, We Are the Architects, uplifted the creativity, healing work, and cooperative legacies they are building. Cohort 9 Launch In August,
An Important ROOT Program Update
When we introduced Reclaiming Our Own Time (ROOT) in 2023, the ROOT team boldly put forth their vision: We are leaders—Black, Indigenous, and people of color. In our well-rested future, we reclaim our own narrative. We celebrate who we are and our rest practices. Our rest is deserved, intergenerational, well-resourced, and for all of us.
Open Road Fund 2025 Rewind
January – May We kicked off 2025 with the return of Open Road Fund’s Community Education Sessions: a free, virtual workshop series exploring homeownership, conquering money shame, pursuing a post-secondary education, and practicing joy. One of the most rewarding parts of offering these sessions was collaborating with incredible community allies in our shared mission to
As We Close this Milestone Year, We Move Ahead with a Shared Vision
Through four virtual program celebrations and one in-person party, we spent 2025 doing what makes Nexus, Nexus: connecting with you—our friends, family, and community. Throughout our 20th anniversary celebrations, we’ve been gifted with heartfelt answers to the question, “What does Nexus mean to you?” “People-led change,” “authenticity,” “creativity,” and “home” were just some of the
“Rest in Resistance” with Repa Mekha & Chera
Our Founder & CEO, Repa Mekha, recently joined Becoming the Vision, a podcast by Freedom Dreams in Philanthropy, to share his reflections on rest—and why it’s essential to building more just communities and a more just world. Those of us who love justice often carry more than we realize. We’ve inherited scripts of hustle and
Apply to BCLI! Applications Open Now Through Jan. 23
Applications for the Boards & Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI) are open now through Friday, Jan. 23! We are excited to recruit our next cohort of equity champions who want to be effective members on boards, committees, commissions and task forces at all levels of government. Apply and learn how to get a seat on a
A North Star Fireside Chat: Grantmakers in the Arts Conference Recap
As part of the 2025 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference: Building Solidarity, Rooted in Justice, Nexus Community Partners and AmbitioUS* co-hosted ReIMAGINE Scale: Self-Determined Power & Community Power in the U.S. The session began with an inspiring fireside chat at Penumbra Theatre between Anasa Troutman, Founder and CEO of The BIG We in Memphis, Tennessee,
Recap: Walking the Path to Liberation
Wrapping up a year of celebrations, we hosted our final 20th anniversary event, Walking the Path to Liberation, to spotlight our Open Road Fund. It warmed our hearts to connect with our Nexus family, see awardees share their stories, and welcome back poet Tish Jones for another powerful reading of the Open Road poem. Watch
A Path to Power: Nexus’ Leadership Work with Boards & Commissions
By Chai Lee, Program Director, Boards & Commissions Leadership Institute For too long, confusing rules and closed-door processes have intentionally kept power from the people most impacted—shutting out Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color from decision-making, as well as women, queer folks, disabled folks, low-wealth folks, and other historically marginalized and oppressed people.
Uncovering the Hidden Power of Boards & Commissions
By Chai Lee, Program Director, Boards & Commissions Leadership Institute Boards, committees, commissions, task forces, and advisory groups guide every institution of power. They operate at all levels of government, from the neighborhood, city, regional, and county levels to the state, national, and international spheres. And in today’s volatile atmosphere of political uncertainty, it has
Introducing Our 2025-26 North Stars!
This fall, we welcomed our ninth North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship cohort—and we’re excited to announce our newest fellows! Get a preview below, and read more about their work here. * Denotes group members not participating in the fellowship. Black Liberation Lab James Arroyo Miller, Stephanie Williams, Jeanine Weekes Schorer,* Terri Hardaway* Seeing past the frameworks